‘Heaven Can Wait’ for High River animal shelter as donations roll in

A High River animal shelter that was preparing to close its doors for good after 18 years has been rescued before becoming another victim of the province’s poor economy thanks to the generosity of the community.

Just a few days ago, the Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue Foundation was in debt and out of money and in danger of shutting down.

The bills at the High River business have been mounting for the last couple of years because of a decrease in adoptions and donations.

Kim Hessel, the founder of the facility, knew she had to make some tough decisions and began reaching out to others to see if anyone else could take in her animals.

"I knew that we had enough money if we were really careful to see us through November. If I was really lucky, through December," she said. “Any group that has this many animals, not just here but obviously the ones outside of town, they're still here, like they still need the care, but if we have no more money to care for them, then what has to happen? So we were already looking at which groups can take them."

A GoFundMe page was started last Thursday to help out and in just a few days it grew to over $100,000.

Hessel says she now has enough money to clear the overdue vet and food bills and also to cover the shelter’s operating expenses until next summer.

"It’s this huge relief, like oh my gosh, what a huge relief, what we can do with those funds, it just feels like so many different doors have all of a sudden opened," she said.

Hessel says she is now working on a restructuring plan to make sure the organization doesn't come this close to the financial brink in the future.

For more information on the Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue Foundation, click HERE.

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The shelter rescues pets from all over southern Alberta and currently houses about 175 cats and over 30 dogs.